About

College of Engineering and Computer Science Bylaws

Approved: 2/26/03

Amended: 4/24/09

Amended: 2/17/14

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1.The bylaws of the College of Engineering and Computer Science establish procedures for the participation of the faculty in the governance of the College and describe methods by which the faculty make recommendations on faculty development, curriculum, and other issues affecting the College. The term “faculty,” when used in these Bylaws, refers to all NTE and TET BUFMS in the college.

2. COLLEGE COMMITTEES

2.1.The standing committees of the College are the Steering Committee, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Undergraduate Petitions Committee, the Graduate Studies Committee, the Faculty Development Committee, the Scholarship Awards Committee, the Teaching Awards Committee and the College Technology Committee. The Dean or the faculty of the College may request the Steering Committee to create ad hoc committees to undertake and discharge specific tasks. The charge, and composition of the standing committees are listed below.

2.2. General Responsibility

It is expected that standing committees may establish guidelines they view as helpful in the efficient execution of their duties. These guidelines are not binding on future committees. If a standing committee formulates guidelines that it believes should be incorporated into College policy, it may submit a proposal to the Steering Committee for inclusion on the agenda of the next faculty meeting. Recommendations, findings, reports, minutes of meetings, and correspondence of all standing or ad hoc committees shall be maintained by the current committee chair or person designated by the Committee, and submitted to the College office.

2.3. Terms of Service

Members of the Steering Committee and the Faculty Development Committee are elected by eligible faculty of their departments. Members of all other committees are appointed. The term of appointment or election to a standing committee is two years for faculty members and one year for student members. Appointments will take effect and the new committees will take office at the beginning of the Fall term.

2.3.1. Elections

Elections shall be supervised by the College Steering Committee. Elections shall be conducted so as to be completed by the end of the Spring term. Initially, all College faculty eligible for membership will be canvassed to solicit nominations, according to the requirements for each elected committee, until a slate of candidates who have explicitly agreed to serve is available. The election shall then be conducted by secret ballot. If a vacancy develops on an elected committee, an election will be held to elect a replacement for the remainder of the unexpired term.

2.3.2. Appointments

Faculty appointments to standing and ad hoc committees shall be the responsibility of the Steering Committee. Each year, the outgoing Steering Committee shall request nominations from each Department for committee vacancies that will occur and appoint the members to the committees for the following year. The Steering Committee is also responsible for appointment of student members to the committees on a yearly basis.

3. STEERING COMMITTEE

3.1. Charge

The Steering Committee coordinates faculty governance activities of the College, administers the functions of Engineering and Computer Science faculty committees,. The specific responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:

3.1.1. Shall prepare an agenda for and announce College faculty meetings, the latter shall be held at least once per regular academic term.

3.1.2. Shall supervise elections for elected committees of the College.

3.1.3. Shall appoint membership for all nonelected committees and supervise the activities of all standing and ahoc committees.

3.1.4. Shall maintain a record of the official activities of the Steering Committee and of the faculty meetings.

3.1.5. Shall name a recording secretary who will receive and preserve the records of activities of the various standing and ad hoc committees.

3.1.6. Shall be in an advisory capacity to the Dean.

3.1.7. Shall meet monthly during the academic year,

3.1.8. Shall at least once per academic year review the fiscal affairs of the college.

3.2. Composition

The Steering Committee shall be composed of one faculty from each Department, the Dean of the College as a non-voting member, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science representative to student government. The Dean will convene the first meeting. The Chair of the committee shall be selected by the committee from its own members at the first meeting.

4. UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

4.1. Charge

The Committee evaluates and makes recommendations on Departmental requests for all undergraduate curriculum changes that require consideration by the University Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee (UUCAPC). A Department chair or Department curriculum committee chair may appeal a College Undergraduate Curriculum Committee recommendation by notifying the Chair of the College Steering Committee within five working days of their receipt of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee recommendation. Appeals will be presented to the College faculty for discussion and vote at a College faculty meeting.

The Committee may itself propose modifications or additions to courses or programs designated as College of Engineering and Computer Science courses or programs because of their multi-disciplinary nature and unsuitability for oversight by a single Department. Such proposals shall be communicated to all College faculty for consideration. In the absence of an objection or call for discussion by any College Faculty Member within a period of five working days, the proposal will be deemed as approved by the College Faculty. In the event that a College Faculty member objects or calls for discussion, the proposal will be brought before the College Faculty at a duly called meeting. In this case approval of the proposal requires a 2/3 vote of the faculty attending a College faculty meeting to receive a positive recommendation.

4.2. Composition

The committee shall be composed of one faculty member who has completed at least six (6) years as a full-time faculty member at Wright State University from each Department and a CECS undergraduate student who is a non-voting member of the committee. The faculty representatives shall serve staggered two-year terms. In the event that the faculty representative of a Department cannot attend a meeting, the Department may provide an alternate representative for the meeting. The committee will recommend to the Steering Committee each year a continuing member to be the College representative to the UUCAPC for the following year.

5. UNDERGRADUATE PETITIONS COMMITTEE

5.1. Charge

The Committee makes recommendations on undergraduate student petitions specifically related to College of Engineering and Computer Science policies and requirements that pertain uniquely to the College. The committee makes recommendations on petitions involving University requirements to be acted on by the University Petitions Committee. The Committee will also mediate and where possible help to resolve disputes between faculty and undergraduate students over grades or other academic evaluations, when these cannot be resolved by normal consultation with faculty, Chairs, or the Dean.

5.2. Composition

The Undergraduate Petitions Committee shall be composed of one faculty from each Department and an undergraduate CECS student member. The faculty members shall serve staggered two-year terms. The committee will recommend to the Steering Committee each year a continuing member to be the College representative to the University Petitions Committee for the following year.

6.1.2. Provides liaison between the College and the University Graduate Council.

6.1.3. Reviews all graduate course changes, additions, or deletions, and major curriculum changes proposed by Departments or by the program faculty of multi disciplinary programs and makes appropriate recommendations.

6.1.4. Reviews graduate student petitions and makes recommendations.

6.1.5. Reviews applications for full graduate faculty membership and makes recommendations to the School of Graduate Studies.

6.1.6. Mediates and where possible helps to resolve disputes between faculty and graduate students over grades or other academic evaluations, when these cannot be resolved by normal consultation with faculty, Chairs, or the Dean.

6.1.7. Acts as a liaison between the College and the University library.

6.2. Appeals

A Department may appeal a Graduate Studies Committee recommendation by notifying the Chair of the College Steering Committee within five working days of their receipt of the Graduate Studies Committee decision. Appeals will be presented to the College faculty for discussion and vote at a College faculty meeting.

6.3. Composition

The committee shall be composed of one faculty member with graduate faculty status from each Department and a CECS graduate student who is a non-voting member of the committee. The faculty representatives shall serve staggered two-year terms. In the event that the faculty representative of a Department cannot attend a meeting, the Department may provide an alternate representative for the meeting.

7. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

7.1. Charge

The Committee:

7.1.1. Works on behalf of the College to achieve a faculty of outstanding ability and superior performance in teaching, research, and service. The specific responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:

7.1.2. Serves as a review panel for the College of Engineering and Computer Science in the evaluation of Departmental proposals for promotion and tenure of faculty.

7.1.3. Reviews and make recommendations on applications for professional development leave.

7.1.4. When requested by the Dean, reviews and makes recommendations on applications for WSU sponsored funding opportunities.

7.1.5. Encourages high standards of faculty achievement and promotes the adoption of such standards by the faculty as a whole.

7.2. Composition

The Faculty Development Committee shall be composed of two tenured Professors and one tenured Associate Professor representing each Department. The College representative serving on the University Promotion and Tenure Committee must be a tenured Professor in the bargaining unit and elected at-large at the College level. This person shall serve as a non-voting member of the College Faculty Development Committee. The committee members serve staggered two-year terms. In the event that a Department has insufficient tenured professors or associate professors to be elected for this committee, the Department may elect:

7.2.1. An additional professor to fill the associate professor position or

7.2.2. Additional associate professors to fill professors positions

7.2.3. Associate professors will not vote on promotions to the rank of professor. The Dean is an ex-officio non-voting member and is the Chair for The Faculty Development Committee.

8. SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS COMMITTEE

8.1. Charge

The Committee reviews and ranks applicants for various scholarships available to students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. This is done in cooperation with the Coordinator of Scholarships of the University Office of Financial Aid.

8.2. Composition

The Scholarship Awards Committee shall be composed of one faculty and one CECS student from each Department. The College Development Officer will be an ex officio non-voting member of the committee. The Committee shall select one of its members to represent the College on the University Scholarship Committee.

9. TEACHING AWARDS COMMITTEE

9.1. Charge

The Committee recognizes outstanding teaching within the College of Engineering and Computer Science by selecting the annual recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Awards for Tenured/Tenure-Track faculty, Non-Tenure Track and Adjunct faculty, and Teaching Assistants.

9.2. Composition

The Teaching Awards Committee shall be composed of one student from each Department nominated by the Student Government senator of the College, approved by the Steering Committee, plus the past three faculty award winners as non-voting members. The past three faculty award winners are ineligible to receive the award while serving on the committee. The chair of the committee shall be elected from among the student members at the first meeting of the academic year.

10. COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

10.1. Charge

The Committee serves as an advisory body to the Dean on issues dealing with the acquisition and usage of technology in the College. In particular the committee will make recommendations regarding:

Membership consists of one faculty and one student from each Department, the Assistant Dean for Fiscal Affairs, and the system administration staff. Each representative, as well as the designee of the system administration staff, has one vote. The Assistant Dean for Fiscal Affairs serves a non-voting advisory role.

11. SELECTION OF DEAN

The selection process for a Dean shall be initiated by the Provost. The Provost shall announce whether the search is to be external or restricted to candidates currently employed by the University. The Provost shall appoint a Search Committee that will include at least four BUFMs from the College. A majority of the committee shall be persons who have faculty status. The committee shall consult with the College faculty such that every faculty member has an opportunity for input, both at the onset of the search and in response to specific candidates. The committee will recommend one or more candidates to the Provost according to the charge of the committee.

12. COLLEGE FACULTY MEETINGS

12.1. Function

The functions of College faculty meetings include: making final College-level recommendations on curricular matters, discussing and making recommendations on issues of interest to the faculty, making recommendations to the appropriate University committees, and informing the faculty of items of interest occurring in the College and the University. College faculty meetings shall be held at least once per term during the academic year. The chair of the Steering Committee shall be the chair of the College faculty meetings.

12.2. Meeting Format

The format of College faculty meetings will be, Approval of minutes of preceding meeting, Presentation by the Dean, Committee Reports, Unfinished Business, New Business, Announcements

12.3. The Steering Committee shall:

12.3.1. Schedule each College faculty meeting.

12.3.2. Announce the occurrence of a meeting no fewer than 10 business days prior to the meeting and solicit agenda Items.

12.3.3. Set the agenda for each College faculty meeting.

12.3.4. Make the agenda available to all full-time College faculty and staff no fewer than five (5) business days prior to the meeting.

12.4. Items may be placed on the agenda by:

12.4.1. The Dean, or

12.4.2. The several College committees, or

12.4.3. By any faculty, the latter via having the matter petitioned by 10% of the College faculty.

12.5. Parliamentary procedure at all meetings shall be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order. In particular,

12.5.1. Motions to suspend the rules to have an immediate vote on an item of new business require a 2/3 vote of all College faculty (not just those in attendance).

12.5.2. A simple majority of the faculty attending the College faculty meeting is required to pass a motion, unless specifically indicated elsewhere in this document.

12.5.3. Voting by faculty will be conducted using secret ballot, if requested by any faculty member present.

13. AMENDMENTS TO THE COLLEGE BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.